10 Apr
2012
10 Apr
'12
4:06 p.m.
On Apr 10, 2012, at 12:33 AM, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
A 11/23 with a 10mb disk and 32Kw of ram runs most of the popular OSs
with RT11 being a common one. An 11/23 supports up to 4Mb of ram but
most OSs don't use or need all that. One exception is RT11 with the
VM: handler which allows excess ram to be used as disk (fast!!!).
Performance of a 11/23 is about par with a 386/25 maybe faster.
It's not about clock speed but OS differences and efficiencies. RSTS
and RSX are very good at supporting multitasking and multiusers.
RT11 was strictly single user with forground background option but
perfect for
real time work. If it had TSX11 layered it was decent timeshare.
there UNIX (V6,V7, and some versions of 2.11bsd( that run on the 11/23
though 2.11 may want I&D space and only the J11 supports that.
Ethernet is available as DEQNA or DELQA but only DECNET protocals
with DEC OSs.
The easiest box is the BA23, power drive mounts and not too large.
the MicroPDP11 is an 11/23b (different boot rom) in a BA32, some had J11
cpus.
A MSCP controller like RQDX2 or 3 is good and a ST225 or D540 will be
enough disk.
Along with a RX50 (or a RX33). Most of the OSs supported the MSCP
controllers.
If you need to format a hard disk (or floppy) than a microVAX2000 can
be handy
or you need the DEC diags on RX50.
Allison
Try an
11/23. That's what I've got, and I run the backplane off a
hacked-up AT power supply tied to the rails. One of these days, when
I find one in good condition, it'll go in a BA11 or BA23 (though if I
find a good BA23, I'll probably try to find something beefier to go
in it).
For now, though, it's pretty content in its bare 4x4 backplane (about
the size of a VCR) with a decent fan blowing through it. Easy enough
to contain for most people.
How much does a "bare" 11/23 do, however?
What do you use for mass storage?
(I did say I was totally ignorant of PDPs.)